Tuesday, November 1, 2011. Children’s Cancer & Blood Foundation Breakthrough Ball Gala
Honored Leyla Aliyeva, Muffie Potter Aston, and Buddy Valastro
CCBF Gala Raises $1.2 Million for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders
(New York, NY – November 2011) The Children’s Cancer & Blood Foundation (CCBF) hosted its annual “Breakthrough Ball” benefit gala on Tuesday evening, November 1st, 2011 at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. There was not an empty seat in the Plaza’s Grand Ballroom, making this CCBF’s biggest and best event yet. With the support of nearly 450 guests, CCBF raised $1.2 million to provide much needed medication, chemotherapy and other life-saving treatments to children at the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology of New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell Medical Center.
The coveted “Key to Life” award was presented to Leyla Aliyeva, Vice President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and Founder of IDEA Environment Campaign. Joining her were the “Breakthrough Spirit” award recipients Muffie Potter Aston, Humanitarian and Philanthropist and Buddy Valastro, Master Cake Decorator and Star of the Hit TLC Reality Show.
Jamie Niven, Vice Chairman, Sotheby’s led a hugely successful live auction featuring a luxurious eight night vacation in Istanbul and Bodrum, Turkey, Super Bowl XLVI Tickets and a Hamptons Golf Package with tee-offs at some of the most exclusive and highly rated courses. The evening concluded with a spectacular performance by Atlantic Recording Artists Straight No Chaser. Guests sang along as Straight No Chaser sang their take on the classic songs: Bridge over Troubled Water, Somewhere over the Rainbow and Billie Jean.
Foundation chairperson Les Lieberman said, “I am overwhelmed by the support and the incredible turnout on behalf of the thousands of children with cancer and blood diseases who are treated each year through the foundation. This was our biggest and best-attended gala to date. I thank everyone for joining us. I want to extend a special thank you to Charles Grodin, Jamie Niven, our honorees, and all the people who helped make the 2011 gala the best ever.”
All proceeds from the evening supported the Division of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. For nearly 60 years, CCBF has been proud to support the extraordinary team of doctors and researchers of the Division. CCBF’s support has attracted and retained a group of world-renowned experts on the treatment of multiple pediatric blood disorders and cancers, including hemophilia, sickle-cell anemia and leukemia. CCBF researchers have received international recognition for their work and are on the cusp of breakthroughs predicted to change the way the medical community treats children with cancer and blood diseases. Each year, physicians treat more than 1,000 children through more than 10,000 inpatient and outpatient visits.
No child is ever turned away for services, regardless of his or her ability to pay. Contact: Jennifer Zaleski (212) 297-4339
jzaleski@childrenscbf.org Photo Credit: Sharon Schuster , Sean Smith, Matt Friedman